Barely three months of its successful launch of the Toyota Rush SUV into the Nigerian market, Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) said it hopes to use the ongoing Lagos Motorfair to explain further on why the new compact SUV should be a must-have in family garages.
In a telephone chat with BusinessDay last Monday, Olukoya Adekunle, senior assistant manager of TNL disclosed that, typical of the franchisees level of participation in past editions, the company is showing presence at this years autofair with a ‘basket of 15 models’ with the new Rush and retooled Camry registering huge presence at the exhibition that will end this Saturday.
For the past couple of years, automakers have been busy rebranding and transforming their existing models into something different. Whether it is to attract buyers into a certain segment or expand their market share, they are now building cars that go above and beyond its original make.
And with Nigerian market awash with quite a large number of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and crossovers, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), through TNL; its manufacturers representatives decided now was the time to introduce their own contender in the lucrative compact seven-seater crossover scene: the all-new Rush.
Featuring the underpinnings of the Avanza wrapped in a sleek and stylish body, the Toyota Rush combines MPV practicality with SUV capability. As far as its looks are concerned, Toyota clearly made the Rush stand out. While it does appear to borrow some styling cues from the Fortuner and RAV4, the small seven-seater still comes with its own unique design.
A sleek front grill with tapered LED headlights gives the Rush a striking yet mature look. The rear, on the other hand, is dominated by a pair of sharp LED taillights and a sporty rear spoiler which further adds to the Rush’s eye-catching aesthetics. The most favorite exterior feature is the bodykit which though may look outlandish enhances the Rush’s rugged and sporty appearance.
It consists of a restyled front bumper with new foglight covers, side skirt garnishes, side protection moldings on the doors, and an emblem at the back, a glossy black trim on the tailgate, and new front and rear bumper garnishes.
All in all, Toyota made the Rush look like a proper mini SUV. Place it beside an Avanza, and most folks would not think that the two are practically the same vehicle underneath.
Rush comes with a shed some of its utilitarian design cues for a smoother, more refined interior. Splashes of cream-colored trim pieces cover the dashboard, center console and door handles. There are also black fabric seats which give it a more mature look and feel
Toyota also went to the trouble of actually changing up portions of the Rush from its MPV brethren. Both the aircon vents for the driver and passenger adopt a circular shape rather than the rectangular ones from the Avanza. Also adopting a redesign are the central aircon vents which are now smaller and sleeker in design.
The 2019 Rush has a decent powertrain but it could have received a torquier engine to help it move all that precious cargo. In-car features and amenities are aplenty although I wished it came with more comfortable seats, especially for the driver and front passenger.
Handling and ride comfort, on the other hand, are adequate, if a bit rough. It’s true redeeming factor, however, are the wide array of standard safety features throughout the model range that are offered at the ongoing Lagos Motorfair.
MIKE OCHONMA
